Apparatus for cleaning ships&#39; hulls.



No. 634,328. Patented Def. 3, I899. w. P. FREEMAN.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SHIPS HULLS.

(Application filed June 11, 1898.) (No Model.)

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No. 634,328." Patented Oct. 3, I899.

' W. P. FREEMAN.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SHIPS HULLS.

(Application filed. June 11, 1898.)

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UNITED S AT -s;

P TE T OFEioE.

YVARREN P. FREEMAN, OF NEIY YORK,'N. .Y.', ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO THE ELECTRIC STONE CLEANING AND RENO- VATING COMPANY, OFJERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SHIPS HULLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,328, dated October3, 1899.

Application filed June 11, 1898.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN P. FREEMAN, mechanical and electricalengineer, of the city of New York, State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Cleaning ShipsHulls and for Similar Uses, of which the following is adescription,referrin g to the accompanying drawings.

As embodied in apparatus for enabling divers to clean the hulls of shipsunder Water the invention contemplates a motor placed on a suitablecarriage onthe deck or rail of the ship, a flexible rotary shaft bywhich power is transmitted from the motor to the cleaner, and details ofthe cleaner and its connection to the rotary shaft. Theseseveralfeatures are fully shown in the accompanying drawings, where- Figure 1shows the cleaner and its connection to the shaft. Fig. 2 is a centralsection of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view of the support for the motor,showing the motor in side elevation; and Fig. 4 is a detail of thecleaner pins or wires. 1

Throughout the figures similar referencenumerals referto similar parts.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the terminal section of the rotaryshaft forms the support for the cleaner and its handles 11 12,

by which it is grasped and controlled. The shaft 10 carries a conicalbushing 13, upon which fits the cylindrical core or center 14 of thecleaner. This core 14 is hollow and tapered internally to fit the cone13. A spring 15, interposed between the handle 11 and the core or center14, tends to force the core 14 from the base of the cone 13, so as toloosen it upon the cone. The reaction of the spring 15 upon the handle11 is taken up by the collar 16, against which the handle 11 presses.The handles 11 and 12 are free to turn on the shaft 10, so that whengrasped by the hands of the operator the cleaner may be manipulatedwhile the shaft 10 is turning within the handles. The terminal end ofthe shaft 10 is provided with cap 17, which prevents the handle 12 fromslipping off the shaft.

Pivoted to or near to the handle 12 is a finger lever or grip 20. Theother end of this lever Serial No. 683,173. (No model.)

is adapted to operate the double collars 21 longitudinally of the shaft10, forcing them to the left of Fig. 2 when the lever handle or grip 20is pressed by the hand against the handle 12. WVhen pressure is soexerted, the collars 21 act through the interposed piece 22 to force thecore or center 14 of the cleaner into close frictional contact with thecone 13, thereby causing the rotation of the shaft 10 to be transmittedto the core 14. Vhen, on the other hand, the grip 20 is released, thespring 15 acts upon the core 14 and releases it from the cone 13,permitting it to stop, although the shaft 10 may continue its rotation.

\Vith the exception of the handles 11 and 12 all the parts so fardescribed are preferably of bronze or other metal which will not be in jured by salt water. I prefer, however, to make the outer sleeve of thecleaner, which I am now about to describe, of light metal, such asaluminium. This sleeve 30 is carried upon and turns with the core orcenter 14. It in turn carries the pins or wires of the cleaner. Thesepins 40 are provided with heads 41, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and areset in perforations 31 at frequent intervals over the entire surface ofthe sleeve 30. The heads 41 lie in recesses 32' in the inner surface ofthe sleeve 30, and springs 33 are interposed between the heads 41 andthe surface of the core or center 14. Consequently the pins 40 arethrust outward to their full extent, but are free to yield against theaction of the springs 32 when pressed against the plate of a ship orother surface to be cleaned. By this means I provide a metallicbrushdike cleaner in which each of the brush members or pins isyielding. When it is dQSlIGd'lZO substitute the rotary cleaner shown inFigs. 1 and 2 by a new instrument or some other instrument, it is onlynecessary to remove the cap 17 from the end of the shaft 10 and draw offthe core 14 with its attachments.

I will now describe the detachable joint by which the section 10 of theshaft is connected to the flexible sections and by which the flexiblesections are connected together. The details of this joint are shown inFig. 2. The outer member of the joint consists of a socket or sleeve 51,into which fits the nippie or tongue 54 of the inner member of thejoint. The two members are secured together so as to rotate and transmitpower by means of a pin 52, carried by the nipple 54 and pressed outwardby the spring 55, so as to enter a recess in the sleeve 51, as clearlyseen in the figure, and thereby lock the two members of the jointtogether. A small hole 53 is provided, through which the end of a wireor pin may be thrust to force the pin 52 back from the sleeve 51, andthereby permit the withdrawal of the nipple 54. from the sleeve orsocket 51 to disconnect the joint.

I prefer to form my flexible shaft 59 in several lengths connected bysuch joints as I have just described. The details of the flexible shaftare not material to theinvention, as such devices have been made andused heretofore.

I prefer to actuate my rotary shaft, which drives the cleaner, by meansof an electric motor placed on a suitable carriage 011 the rail of theship. In Fig. 3 the rail is indicated at 60. A heavy slide 61, fitted tothe rail 60 and provided with felt or soft material 62 to prevent itsmarring the rail, carries the motor 70. The motor turns upon a verticalpin 71, which forms part of the slidin g base 61. ported on one or morewheels 72, journaled in the support or frame 73, to which the motor isrigidly secured. These details may of course be changed to some extentwithout departing from the principles of the invention. The object ofthe pivotal mounting is to enable the motor to swing when tension isexerted upon the flexible shaft 59. The motor is preferably providedwith the beveled gears 75 76, one mounted on the end of the motorshaftand the other mounted in the horizontal plane upon a bracket 77. Twosockets 500, similar in all respects to the socket 51 of the jointalready described, are provided, one directly on the end of themotor-shaft and the other mounted and turning with the beveled gear 76.By this means flexible shafting 59 may be connected either horizontallyto the end of the motor-shaft -or vertically to the shaft of the gear76. In the drawings I have shown flexible shafting connected at boththese points, so that two sets of cleaners may be operated from thesingle motor 70. Of course either of these connections may be omittedand the motor designed for a single connection to the flexibleshaft-lug.

Having now set forth in sufiieient detail the several features of myinvention as I at present prefer to construct them, I claim, withoutattempting to enumerate the many modifications that may be made, thefollowing points:

1. In combination in apparatus for cleaning hulls and similar uses, acleaner, a source of power therefor remote from the cleaner, mechanicalactuating connections extending The weight of the motor is sup- 1 fromsuch source to the cleaner, and a friction-clutch for operativelyconnecting and disconnecting the cleaner from the said actuatingconnections without permitting of the detachment of said parts,substantially as set forth.

2. In combination in apparatus for cleaning hulls, and for similar uses,a slide fitted to the rail of the ship, a motor pivotally mounted uponsaid slide, and mechanical actuating connections extending from themotor to the apparatus to be operated, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination in apparatus for cleaning hulls, and for similar uses,a slide fitted t0 the rail of the ship, a motor pivotally mounted uponsaid slide, and a flexible rotary shaft actuated by the motor andconnected to the cleaner, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination in a cleaner for cleaning hulls and for similar uses,a rotary shaft upon which the cleaner is mounted, handles looselysurrounding the said shaft, and a frictionclutch for operativelyconnecting and disconnecting the said cleaner and shaft withoutpermitting of the detachment of said parts, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination in a cleaner for cleaning hulls and for similar uses,a rotary shaft upon which the cleaner is mounted, a tapered or conicalbushing turning with the shaft, a hol= low core or center for thecleaner internally tapered or conical to fit the bushing, and means forforcing the said core or center into and out of frictional engagementwith the bushing, substantially as set forth.

'6. In combination in a cleaner for cleaning hulls and for similar uses,a rotary shaft upon which the cleaner is mounted, a tapered or conicalbushing turning with the shaft, a hollow core or center for the cleanerinternally tapered or conical to fit the bushing, mechanism for forcingthe said core orcenter into frictional engagement with the bushing, anda spring acting to disengage it, substantially as set forth.

7. In combination in a cleaner for cleaning hulls, and for similar uses,the core or center, a surrounding, recessed, and perforated, sleeve, andspring-pressed pins protruding from such recesses through theperforations, substantially as set forth.

8. In combination in a clean-er for cleaning hulls and for similar uses,a set of cleaningpins projecting from and seated in a cylindricalsupport and each movable therein lengthwise of itself, substantially asset forth.

In testimony whereof I have "hereunto set any hand this 2d day of June,A. D. 1898.

\VARREN P. FREEMAN.

Witnesses:

HAROLD BINNEY, WENDELL F. BECKER.

